Yesterday, the Ministry of Health coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize an online meeting with 63 provinces and cities across the country to respond to the International Day for Disease Prevention and Control (on December 27) with the theme "Strengthening monitor of people in the high-risk group”.
Deputy Minister Son said presently, with 79 percent of its population having received their first dose of vaccine and 66 percent of the population getting the first dose of vaccine, Vietnam has surpassed the World Health Organization’s target of achieving at least 40 percent vaccination coverage in 2021.
According to Dr. Kidong Park, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Vietnam, the most impressive is that Vietnam has been able to secure more than 160 million doses of vaccine and provide more than 140 million doses of vaccine to the people who are eligible for getting a vaccine in a short time.
He added people can’t be able to eradicate the SARS-CoV-2 virus thoroughly and it is difficult to predict future virus mutation scenarios, but the lives of people can be saved and countries can curb bad impacts on social-economic development.
Dr. Kidong Park recommended that the Southeast Asian country should continue protectingvulnerable populations, the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions.
Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to coordinate with relevant departments, ministries, and agencies to effectively implement vaccine diplomacy.